Darwin Behind the Scenes

The exhibition offers an opportunity to delve into the hidden world of Charles Darwin's private correspondence and to discover what Darwin and his correspondents' letters can tell us about the man behind the beard: Where did his ideas came from? Who and what influenced his work? How did Darwin's image in the press compare with the man known to his family, friends and colleagues?

It focuses on correspondence exchanged in relation to the writing and publication of two of Darwin's major works; The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871) and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872).

Credits

The exhibit has been compiled by two research associates on the Darwin Correspondence Project; Dr Philippa Hardman who is research associate on the theme of ‘Darwin and Gender’ and Dr Sophie Defrance, research associate on the theme of ‘Darwin and Human Nature’.